‘Gandhi led the world’s first social marketing campaign’

In this episode of Buzz by the Bay, Anushka Jagtiani is in conversation with Suhel Seth, founder and managing partner of strategic brand marketing consultancy firm, Counselage India. He is a marketing guru and brand expert who is also a bestselling author, columnist, actor and TV personality. Suhel is a well known face on national television, specially now during election season. In this episode he talks about branding from the political perspective, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s marketing skills, and about the importance of creating strong individual brands in politics.

You have some very highprofile clients. Do you do branding for corporates as well as political parties?

Yes, I worked on the brand exercise for Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s prime ministerial campaign in 1999. That’s how I got to know Narendra Modi and [the late] Arun Jaitley. They were my briefing clients.

Why is branding so important in political campaigns?

Branding is an integral part of everything in our lives. For example: Anushka Jagtiani is different from Sushama Puri, not only because of nomenclature but because Anushka Jagtiani brings something to the party. Sushama Puri also brngs something to the party but we don’t know what. Everyone is selling something in this world – either you’re selling a dream, spinning a yarn, asking for votes. The Bible famously says, only when you ask shall you receive, and we are constantly asking for something in this country. So when you are asking someone for their vote, you have to make yourself attractive to that person, in terms of what you have to offer.

What are the main factors you have to keep in mind when doing political branding, specially in India?

Is Narendra Modi bigger than the BJP? Yes, of course. Mahatma Gandhi was bigger than the Indian National Congress, So was Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. Mamata Banerjee is bigger than the TMC. Why do you think in India we regard symbols as so valuable? Look at the fight between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar – it’s over a symbol. Because literacy levels are so low, they can associate with symbols. Why do you think Modi started wearing an outsized lotus in his speeches – for brand recall. They are looking at all the critical points of branding – whether it’s brand recognition, positioning or brand promise.

Can you tell us about some of the lines you used for the political campaigns you worked on?

The line I used for Atalji was: ‘Hum ABhi Atal Hai’. Then I did [the late] Sheila Dikshit’s campaign where I used the word ‘Bhagyadaari’, which got her the UN role model award. The reason is I look at advertising or branding from a consumer’s perspective and then see how can I make a Narendra modi or Rahul Gandhi relevant, rewarding and a brand that people would like to invest in or vote for.

A lot has changed with political branding since the advent of social media. How is it different now?

What has happened is that the messaging has been dumbed down to a terrible low. The media is always changing. I’ve often said in lectures that the world’s first brilliant social marketing campaign was led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. No papers, no TV, no radio, and everyone got the message. Why? They didn’t forward it by WhatsApp – they forwarded it by whisper. So it was whisper marketing that led to such a movement – whether it was 1942 – or Chauri Chara.